Acrophobia on the Road? (Alps etc.)
 

Hello :)

today I would like to talk to you (experienced) guys about a thing that seriously worries me since this weekend.

I just got my driverslicence (yay beer) and a 2000 Kawasaki ER-5n and im thinking about using my last week of vacation this year to do my first trip in the alps. I am living in Germany and I have to admit that I have never been in the south of Germany doh

I've never been in Munich, never seen the Alps and really want to do that.
I was thinking about going on a trip to Munich and then into the Alps, maybe to Innsbruck (Austria) or some other city within the Alps.

Whatsoever what my concern is: I am afraid of Heights (so called Acrophobia). I've never even thought about it but this weekend I had an experience that makes me seriously concerned about that.

I was in Dresden and the "Elbsandsteingebirge", if you've never been there ist STUNNING, especially the "Affenstein" mountain. Whatsoever usually my acrophobia does not kick in on Mountains (have been on the 4400m Mt. Toubkal in Morocoo for example or a 1800m volcano in Bali). But this time it was different, it is REALLY high and its going down very straight. It really is an edge.

On the way back to westgermany I was stuck in a traffic jam (in my car) on a bridge and the worst happened, I had to stop the car in the middle of that bridge. In the car it was hard already, i really was scared and the typical align instinct kicked in. I HAD TO GET OFF THAT BRIDGE. For others it was one of the best places to get stuck in the traffic jam because the view was great but for me it was pure horror.
Whatsoever if I imagine I wouldve been on a motorcycle there...I don't know what wouldve happen. This is scaring me even tho im just sitting in my office right now. I even feel this align instinct right now and im in the second floor (not because im afraid here but because I think about this again).

So do you guys think it is possible for me to drive throu the alps? Are there very high and very steep edges? Or is it more like a slope?

I hope this thread is not too weird :D

There are lots of roads in the Alps with sheer drops but for the most part they are the minor roads that link villages etc. If you stick to the major routes or the motorways you'll get the views without the sheer edges - although some of the bridges may be difficult - the europabrucke just south of Innsbruck on the A13 for example.

In the area I know well (Grenoble) you could cross the Alps on a couple of routes without any major sheer drops or difficult bridges. Many of the main roads take what seem to me to be benign routes and as long as you avoided areas like the Vercors you shouldn't have a problem. In rough terms if the routes are kept open during the winter the driving / riding will be fairly gentle.

On the other hand there are some other routes - Martigny to Chamonix on the Swiss border for example that I'd suggest you avoid.

You could just check a route first by driving it virtually with Google street view. That way you could avoid the parts you find uncomfortable.

Firstly I have learned something from your post, that is I suffer from acrophobia not vertigo as I have always refered to it and yes it can be a problem on trips in mountainous or places with steep drops. I start to feel giddy when I get above about 3-4 meters and need to be a similar distance from edges to feel safe, it is funny because a .75 meter high safety barrier is not enough to help but a 1.5 meter high one is.
I have found exposing myself to heights has helped a bit, a tour of South America forced me to confront heights and I am not as bad as before but it is still there, I also did a bungee jump with my eyes closed.
I would suggest going on your planned trip but be open to the possibility of turning back and finding another route if the road becomes too steep for you, do what you feel comfortable with and if you are travelling with other make sure they are prepared to accept your problem before setting off, they may never understand it but have to allow for it.

Well the Europabrücke is really high but I think as long as I can drive it will be fine. If I get stuck on a traffic jam there i might die tho :D

I actually try to bring myself into uncomfortable situations every know and then to eventually get over this phobia but it really is not rational and I have no idea how to manage this.

I climbed on a 16m cliff in Southafrica and jumped into some water and had no Problem with that. But if i have to go on a rooftop bar in lets say 10m only I can't be comfortable and enjoy a beer. I guess phobias are weird.

Whatsoever, the Europabrücke might be too much for now so i avoid it, thanks for the tip!

Edit: I didn't see your post at first @mark Manley

Yeah there is a difference between acrophobia and getting dizzy because of heights. If you really have Acrophobia you actually get a really strong align instinct and have a irrational scare of falling to death or even being afraid of jumping off the cliff. Somehow your mind is like "yeah this is damn deep but im save here" and your body is like "DONT JUMP, NO DONT JUMP GET AWAY FROM HERE". This makes it so hard, atleast for me.

Respect for the Bungee Jump :)
I actually drove in the Alishan Area in Taiwan on a scooter, the road is damn high aswell but i was never afraid. I even did a selfie on an edge right above a palm plantation, somehow that was not a problem at all. I think the mindset and psychical condition is really important to this. If i travel alone and meet new people it's not that bad. It somehow just doesn't bother me that much, if i travel with them for 1 or 2 weeks the phobia is getting stronger again.

I suggest that you trial any or all of these to, perhaps, pin down your "innermost":-
Tandem parachuting
Gliding, preferably in an open top glider if such airframes are still flying nowadays
Rock climbing/abseiling
Ballooning

Some people don't like heights but can deal with it when tethered to another person or in an aeroplane etc etc (the climbers call it "exposure" - some rock faces are OK, and others certainly are not).

Well what is triggering my acrophobia the most is situations where i would be able to jump and die. This sounds super weird but for example jumping off a 15m cliff into water is no problem. Standing on a balcony in 15m height is hell sometimes.

Also it gets worse with open and wide places.
Also rollercoasters, freefall towers or airplanes (also the small ones) are no problem at all. I even like to fly (the start especially). Since this is a phobia it's just not rational at all. I can't say that anything above 5m is triggering it or something. I can be fine on one balcony and scared on another one with the same heights.

I also did abseiling, 24m was the highest point and no problem at all.

My 15yo son had the same thing. He did a high ropes course and he is about 80% better than he was.

Just an idea maybe.

Just this may i did the Taman Negara Canopy Walk in Malaysia. 45m high on very unstable small bridges and see throu railings.

I was totally fine :)